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KAMLOOPS, B.C. — A sweep with punctuation.

The Nanaimo NightOwls, now at the midway  point of their longest road trip of the West Coast League season, left little to the imagination in a 12-2 trouncing of the host Kamloops NorthPaws.

It was the team’s first winning sweep, home or road, this season with a 2-1 win on Friday after a day on the road, and a stifling heat 6-4 come-from-behind triumph on Saturday.

The NightOwls are now 19-20 on the season and 7-5 in the second half, a half game out of the North Division lead for having home field advantage in the playoffs. Nanaimo holds down the last playoff spot based on overall/wild card berths, ahead of the Victoria HarbourCats.

Boxscore

As much as the bats were the story, it was the second dominant start in three outings for Aidan Boice — six scoreless innings, just two hits and a walk, with seven set down on strikes.

The game being such a runaway gave Head Coach Greg Frady a chance to get everyone involved as 16 batters got plate appearances. Drew Rutter was 3-5 with two doubles and Wylie Waters was 2-3 with three runs. Nine different batters scored runs and the NightOwls scored in all but the fifth and sixth innings.

Standings

After Boice dominated, Jake Schumacher, Tyson Willis and Isaac Araiza helped complete the four-hitter with just three walks.

NightOwls TV WCL Pixellot

Early Monday morning, the NightOwls head northeast to Edmonton and a Monday-Tuesday-Wednesday battle with the Riverhawks, one of the teams Nanaimo will want to get ahead of in the very tight North Division standings.

Japanese right-hander Moosa Nonomiya from Skagit Valley will start the Monday game for Nanaimo.

The next home action for the NightOwls, after a Thursday off day, is hosting the Bellingham Bells at historic Serauxmen Stadium for a Friday-Saturday-Sunday series. Every game counts with how tight the standings are for playoff positions with three spots from the North still to be determined.

Tickets

NANAIMO, B.C. — The first college-level home run for Kurt Felix went to waste.

The Nevada high school baseball player of the year, a cacher with the Nanaimo NightOwls before he heads to Cal Poly (SLO) in fall, went deep over the left field wall for a two-run shot in the fifth inning on Thursday in a non-league exhibition game played at historic Serauxmen Stadium.

The Nanaimo Selects, a team made up of many current and former college players from the mid-island area, many of whom played for the PBL Pirates, earned a 5-3 victory in the second of two non-league games played this week to provide more baseball value to Nanaimo fans during the WCL all-star break.

The NightOwls outhit the Selects 7-6 but made the only error. The NightOwls scored their three runs in the fifth inning, almost erasing a 4-0 Selects lead.

Taiwanese second baseman Hsu He-Chieh had two hits for Nanaimo.

Former NightOwls infielder Brandon Nicoll had two hits for the Selects, who got quality pitching contributions from Jordan Moffat, Darren Kolk, Steve McKinnon, Liam Goodall and Garrett Goodall.

Cole Carmichael had a strong start on the mound for the NightOwls, with two scoreless innings, including two strikeouts.

The NightOwls now head out on a road trip that will give the team a chance to keep pace for the second half North Division championship, with three games in Kamloops starting on Friday, and three games in Edmonton on Monday-Tuesday-Wednesday before a day off next Thursday. The next home action for the NightOwls is a weekend home set against the division-rival Bellingham Bells next Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

“This is an exciting time, to grow our group and be set up for a busy off-season for both teams and ensure 2025 brings our best seasons yet,” said Swanson, who has led the HarbourCats since 2013. “We have strong people leading operations in both markets, with potential for growth, and adding Adrian provides further leadership and support.

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“Tina has done a tremendous job of leading so much of the foundational start of the NightOwls in Nanaimo and is committed to growing that program in the community. I’m not sure where we would be without her efforts getting the NightOwls in the air since before the first pitch in 2022.”

NANAIMO, B.C. — For a time, it looked like an oh-for-Owls evening.

BELLINGHAM, Wash. — It’s tough to give up just six hits, and lose.

The Nanaimo NightOwls used a big second inning and strong pitching into the ninth inning to have control for a series road win in Bellingham, only to have an error lead to a string of hits that led the Bells to a 6-5 win in a Sunday matinee.

Bellingham trailed 5-2 going into the bottom of the ninth inning, but the NightOwls could not record an out before the Bells walked it off.

All-star pitcher Adison Mattix was dominant again, giving up one unearned run on one hit, walking two and striking out five in five innings, and Grant Jakobson came in for one spotless inning. Li Sih-te gave up a run in his inning and a third, and the error made Paul Montgomery’s pitching line look messy as he took the loss.

The NightOwls managed just three hits, none for extra bases, and drew four walks. On defence, the NightOwls made two errors, costly ones, and Bellingham made three — one of them aiding the five-run inning Nanaimo had in the second, scoring all those runs with just two hits and three walks.

The NightOwls head to Port Angeles on Monday to face the Lefties in a one-game stop. The next home games at Serauxmen Stadium are Tuesday and Thursday, with an all-local affair pitting the NightOwls against the Nanaimo Caged Athletics Selects, a team gathered for exhibition games using current and former star college players from the mid-island area.

BELLINGHAM, Wash. — The Nanaimo NightOwls will always battle, that’s been proven in this 2024 West Coast League season.

A night after a rough start to a four-game road trip with a score that shall hereby go unmentioned — hey, it happens — the NightOwls used strong pitching and a clutch home run from Wylie Waters to earn a 6-4 win over the Bellingham Bells at Joe Martin Field.

The Waters bomb was his league-leading seventh home run, and the two-run blast turned a 3-3 tie into a Nanaimo lead. Waters, who will play in the WCL all-star game, was 2-3 with two runs and two driven in and is now batting .330. David Draayers had a single later in the inning to score Mitchell Middlemiss, who had doubled two batters after the Waters blast to right that scored Michael Easter.

Waters also leads the WCL in RBIs with 30.

Josh Torres started on the mound and went three innings, giving up six hits and three runs, both walking and striking out a pair. Payton Robertson was money in relief with three scoreless innings, and Issac Araiza made his NightOwls debut with a scoreless inning, earning the win. Richtter Castillo surrendered a run in the eighth but Ryan Inouye came on and struck out three batters in the four outs he recorded for his second save of the season.

Nevan Noonan was 2-4, as were Middlemiss and Draayers. Draayers had two runs batted in. Nanaimo scored two in the first, fell behind 3-2 after two innings, then tied the game in the top of the fourth.

The NightOwls were outhit 13-10 and made the game’s only error. In the standings, the NightOwls are 4-3 in the second half and share the second-half-lead with the Wenatchee AppleSox, with all eight North Division teams within 1.5 games of each other.

The NightOwls close out this series in Bellingham on Sunday with a 1:35pm start, then head to Port Angeles on Monday to face the Lefties in a one-game stop. The next home games at Serauxmen Stadium are Tuesday and Thursday, with an all-local affair pitting the NightOwls against the Nanaimo Caged Athletics Selects, a team gathered for exhibition games using current and former college players from the mid-island area.

NANAIMO, B.C. — The Nanaimo NightOwls just needed one more hit.

The NightOwls, seeking their first series sweep of the season, fell 5-4 in 11 innings to the visiting Kelowna Falcons on Wednesday night at Serauxmen Stadium.

Kelowna barely got a run across, beating out a would-be double-play ball, in the top of the 11th to provide the difference. The NightOwls had two runners on base in the bottom half but could not get the game-tying, or winning, base knock.

Kelowna outhit the NightOwls 10-6 but made four errors. A difference in the game was three pickoffs at first base, that Nanaimo contended was in part due to a balk move on throws over to first base.

Boxscore

Mitchell Middlemiss stroked a single that would score two runs in the first inning, part of a three-run headstart for the NightOwls. Aaron Marsh tripled and scored on a sacrifice fly in the fifth inning, the last run Nanaimo would score.

Standings

Li Sih-te started and was strong in five innings, giving up one unearned run on five hits and two walks, with five strikeouts. Paul Montgomery, Armaan Drar and Ryan Inouye had strong relief outings, Montgomery and Drar especially effective at closing down other Kelowna threats.

NightOwls TV WCL Pixellot

The NightOwls are now 15-17 on the season, in the midst of a playoff battle in the North Division.

The NightOwls head on the road for four games starting Friday with a weekend series in Bellingham that concludes Sunday. Nanaimo moves on for an oddball single game in Port Angeles on Monday, returning home for the mini all-star break with non-league games Tuesday and Thursday against the Nanaimo Caged Athletics Selects.

Tickets for home games are available online, at the gate, or get general admission vouchers at all Save On Foods locations in Nanaimo, Ladysmith and Parksville. The NightOwls are expecting more strong crowds after setting a franchise record on Monday, July 1 with 3,127 in attendance for the Canada Day Classic doubleheader and fireworks show.

Tickets

NANAIMO, B.C. — The Nanaimo NightOwls are developing the ability to hammer on the gas pedal, but make no mistake it’s Wylie Waters controlling the steering wheel.

The second-year NightOwls infielder hit his second three-run home run in as many nights, leading Nanaimo to an 11-5 home-field victory over the visiting Kelowna Falcons, a game played Tuesday night at historic Serauxmen Stadium.

Waters cleared the wall in left field yet again as part of a seven-run fourth inning that put the NightOwls in the driver’s seat on a night with absolutely perfect baseball weather.

The crowd of 1,325 on hand, many excited for a chance to win Taylor Swift concert tickets at the games this week, with the draw on Wednesday during the series finale, also witnessed the first WCL home run by catcher Clark Springs.

Boxscore

Waters, a no-brainer all-star selection for the league’s showcase game next week, finished 3-4 with a double, his long ball, and four runs driven in, while fellow all-star Nevan Noonan was 2-4 with an RBI.

Waters has six home runs this season — he leads the WCL, and has set the team single-season home run record. He’s the franchise leader in career bombs with eight.

Waters is hitting .330, and Michael Easter now has a .341 average following his 1-4 night, the hit a double. Mitchell Middlemiss was 2-5 with an RBI as six different NightOwls drove in runs. The teams both had 10 hits and committed two errors.

Standings

Jake Fleury, the first arm out of the bullpen, earned the win with four outs and no runs scored, giving up one hit and striking out one. Starter Caden Pearlman went three and two-thirds scoreless innings, giving up two hits, three walks, and fanning three.

Lawson Minshew, Fareed Ahmed, Kai Hanasaki and Grant Jakobson also worked in relief.

NightOwls TV WCL Pixellot

The NightOwls are now 15-16 on the season and tied for a playoff spot, and tied for the North Division lead for the second half with Kamloops and Wenatchee.

The NightOwls had a comfortable 10-0 lead after two runs in the third, seven in the fourth, and one more in the fifth. Kelowna scored two each in the sixth and seventh to show a bit of life, but it wasn’t enough.

The series concludes Wednesday in one of the most-anticipated promotional dates in NightOwls history when tickets to the game will earn an entry into the draw for the hugely-coveted Taylor Swift Eras Tour concert tickets, with her show slated for Vancouver in December. Concert tickets are selling for more than $5,000, and main sponsor Maxxam Insurance has made it possible for Nanaimo baseball fans to have a chance to win two tickets.

Wednesday will be the last chance to enter — and also the night of the draw.

Tickets are available online, at the gate, or get general admission vouchers at all Save On Foods locations in Nanaimo, Ladysmith and Parksville. The NightOwls are expecting more strong crowds after setting a franchise record on Monday, July 1 with 3,127 in attendance for the Canada Day Classic doubleheader and fireworks show.

Tickets

NANAIMO, B.C. — Six innings, one run, four strikeouts — and just 49 pitches thrown. To say Aidan Boice was dominant for the Nanaimo NightOwls on Monday night at Serauxmen Stadium would be a massive understatement.

The right-hander from Salt Lake CC allowed a double to Trent Duffield in the second inning, and he scored on a sac fly — that was all Boice allowed in leading the NightOwls to a 5-1 victory over the visiting Kelowna Falcons. Strong, often stellar, defense behind him helped in a total team victory for the NightOwls, who improved to 14-16 overall and 2-1 in the second half.

Boxscore

The NightOwls banged out eight hits, and both teams made an error. Nanaimo scored once in the first inning — Riley Paulino singled and scored on the business end of a double steal — and Aaron Marsh drove in Cassidy Watt in the third inning with a single to right.

The big blow was Wylie Waters, after a lengthy debate led by the Kelowna coach with the home plate umpire in the fifth, driving a home run to left with two runners aboard.

Standings

After Boice exited to a loud applause, Venezuelan lefty Richtter Castillo came in and went three innings, allowing one hit and striking out two, to earn the save.

Tickets

The crowd of more than 1,000 was fired up for a chance to see great baseball in great weather, and also to have a chance at winning Taylor Swift concert tickets — thanks to Maxxam Insurance, all ticketed patrons get a chance to enter the draw for the coveted tickets to the December series in Vancouver, through the games Monday-Tuesday-Wednesday against Kelowna at Serauxmen Stadium.

NightOwls TV WCL Pixellot

Tickets are available online, at the gate, or get general admission vouchers at all Save On Foods locations in Nanaimo, Ladysmith and Parksville. The NightOwls are in a busy homestand after setting a franchise record on Monday, July 1 with 3,127 in attendance for the Canada Day Classic doubleheader and fireworks show.

NANAIMO, B.C. — Early home runs made it look promising. One inning halted those hopes.

The Nanaimo NightOwls surrendered an inning to forget, giving up 11 runs in a sixth inning that seemed to have it all in a tough way, in a 14-8 loss to the Wenatchee AppleSox to conclude a three-game series at historic Serauxmen Stadium on Sunday.

Wenatchee takes the series 2-1 and improves to 22-11 overall, while the NightOwls remain right in the playoff chase at 13-16.

A ball that hit the knob of a Wenatchee bat was ruled a hit-by-pitch and after a bases-clearing triple, some walks, a few more hits, and a would-be double play not completed, the AppleSox had exceeded the numbers possible on the Serauxmen Stadium scoreboard.

The NightOwls pounded out 14 hits, three fewer than the AppleSox. The game had so much promise after Nevan Noonan hit a home run in the first inning, his third, and Drew Rutter, who was 4-5, doubled home two runs for an early 3-0 lead — made 4-0 when David Draayers hit a solo shot in the second inning, his first of the season.

A 6-0 Nanaimo lead had the strong crowd feeling good on a blue-sky scorcher on Sunday afternoon, but the sixth inning happened — and seemed to go on for 45 minutes.

Adison Mattix was dominant as the starting pitcher. He went five innings with four hits and five strikeouts, and was barely touched by Wenatchee hitters. The bullpen will want to file this game under “learning experience” — combining for 13 hits allowed, four walks, and three plunked batters.

Standings Link 

Catcher Kurt Felix was 2-3 with a double and three runs driven in, Deshon Thomas was 3-4 with four runs scored, and Aaron Marsh, a night after his walk-off three-run home run led to a dramatic 9-6 victory, was 2-6 to raise his average to .313.

The Kelowna Falcons arrive for a Monday-Tuesday-Wednesday set at Serauxmen, all 6:35pm starts.

Tickets are available online, at the gate, or get general admission vouchers at all Save On Foods locations in Nanaimo, Ladysmith and Parksville. The NightOwls are in a busy homestand after setting a franchise record on Monday with 3,127 in attendance for the Canada Day Classic doubleheader and fireworks show.